Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:1-14 

Many Are Called

Raised hands and swaying bodies
caught up in the spirit of the time
praising God so freely and easily
darkness and failure our silent ghost.

In the chills of the darkest night
alone and in the mist of sleeplessness
we groan aloud feeling so cast out
when we ourselves have walked away.

Our hands reach high in the daylight
then we slap away the beggar's hand
we shun  and imprison their dirty children
gloating about our own good deeds.

At night alone we seek solace and forgiveness
we rarely change, we rarely forgive
living so selfishly and acting so justified
as we lay to waste our planet, our homes.